Chuck Bloom is a former publisher-owner-editor of several Texas community newspapers for more than 25 years before retiring, winning dozens of journalism awards and serving as former president of two regional press groups.

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Michigan on the road to Big 10 title: set for takeoff

The
Big Ten football title chase began last weekend even if Michigan was given a much-needed
bye week. The rest will be greatly appreciated and the prep time will allow the
coaches to plug the holes in U-M’s offense and find the gaps in the next round
of opponents – at Purdue this Saturday and then home games with Illinois and
Michigan State.

National
observers and analysts have criticized the Big Ten for its lackluster
non-conference performance, making its main argument against the Wolverines for
losing to Alabama and Notre Dame. The overall critique (conference-wise) is, to
be honest, pretty accurate; no Big Ten school has played a quality schedule and
no team has posted a “quality” victory over a ranked opponent.

There
is one exception, and that IS Michigan, who was the only Big Ten team to play
two current Top 10-ranked opponents, Say what you wish, but the Wolverines put
their collective necks on the chopping blocks and ventured into games no one
else within the conference would dare.

By
comparison, look at who the three undefeated conference teams face (headed into
last Saturday’s start of Big Ten play):

Not
one Top 25 teams from that grouping, or even a single matchup in which those
teams weren’t favored. Michigan was the underdog in both of its road losses
(Alabama, Notre Dame).

And
the setbacks by conference teams helped propel their opponents into the Top 25
polls. It was the gateway for schools like Arizona State, Oregon State and
Notre Dame to national recognition.

While
the results of the ‘Bama game was far from what U-M fans and players had
desired, I doubt any other Big Ten school would’ve put its reputation (and
season record) on the line if offered the opportunity.

Scheduling
is often an iffy thing, since non-conference schedules need to be “finalized”
years in advance. Some matchups are automatic marquee affairs; U-M’s schedule
with Notre Dame is an obvious example. But with the Irish chickening out on
future confrontations with Michigan, the Wolverine administration (namely AD
Dave Brandon) now have a choice to make – take the easy road like the other
conference schools and play one of the in-state directional schools (WMU,CMU,
EMU) or another MAC entrant.

Or
Brandon could convince a perennial Top 20 school (from the SEC or Big 12) to
enter into a home-and-home contract. Imagine Michigan welcoming the University
of Texas, or Tennessee, or Florida, or LSU or even Oklahoma to the Big House,
and then seeing how the college game is celebrated (and played) in places like
Austin, Knoxville, Gainesville, Baton Rouge or Norman.

If
the Irish want to play Purdue or Navy rather than continue a nationally-recognized
highlight matchup … well, fine! Don’t
let the door slap the leprechaun on the backside on his way out. Good riddance!

One
thing has been clarified from non-conference play (despite ANY team’s record) –
there is NO team standing head-and-shoulders above the others. Ohio State is a
fairly talented team, but as vastly over-ranked as is Notre Dame. The Bucks edged
another over-rated squad (Sparty) last Saturday, by doing what all MSU’s
opponents have discovered – smother the one-trick pony running game and the house
of cards in East Lansing crumbles – and still barely won.

As a sidenote: Has anyone heard tow more
sniveling, whining programs anywhere else? “Hepoked me in the eye!” “He
cheated on the films he sent us!” Wah! Wah! Wah!

As
is said in Yiddish, “be a mench!”
Grow up and grow a pair! Both of you! OSU is now Urban Meyer’s program and the
Big Ten will soon discover why he didn’t have many friends in the SEC.

And
poor Sparty … needs to keep its collective months shut, their fingers off
Twitter and their eyes on a few DVRs (which could’ve recorded the entire
televised schedule for ALL its opposition) instead of waiting for that outdated
method of exchange films. That’s SOOO 1970s!

After
Week 1, a major problem has appeared on the championship horizon – a self-inflicted
problem at that. The Leaders division is home to ineligible schools for any
post-season action – Ohio State (5-0, 1-0) and Penn State (3-2, 1-0).
Technically, the Leaders “leader” is … PURDUE … at 0-0 (PU proved it was NOT
Marshall last Saturday) while, sitting at 0-1, is the remaining divisional lineup
(Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana).

Meanwhile,
the Legends division houses a far more combative lineup with Nebraska,
Northwestern, Michigan State and Michigan expected to battle for a place in the
Dec. 1 championship game in Indianapolis. For certain, the talent level is much
higher within the Legends than the Leaders.

Here’s
the problem: NO ONE really wants to see Purdue, Illinois or Indiana (aside from
those three campuses) to be one of the teams in Indy. Wisconsin simply is not
up to snuff to what it produced for the last three seasons. But it is a distinctive
possibility that a school with two conference losses makes it to the title game
(those weak non-conference schedules guarantee no team will be .500 or below,
rendering them useless as a measuring stick).

As
constructed by the conference, certain teams have easier routes to Indianapolis
than other schools. Wisconsin and Purdue will not face more of the high-end
teams than other divisional foes. Bucky Badger avoids Michigan, Northwestern
and Iowa; Boiler Pete misses Nebraska, Northwestern and Michigan State.

On
the flip side, Nebraska must slog through a real Murderer’s Row for its second
conference season, without seemingly easy wins over Illinois, Purdue and
Indiana (the most cynical observer would grant three wins there). Other Legend
division teams avoid major bullets – Northwestern won’t play Ohio State, Sparty
won’t play Penn State and Michigan does not have Wisconsin or Penn State on its
schedule.

All
of this ends with a solid roadmap to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Wolverines to
obtain its annual goal – the Big Ten championship and, with it, a BCS automatic
berth.

Unlike
past seasons, at least based on the ND game, Michigan will bring a solid
defense, which is improving with each play, to the next two games. Purdue is
about to discover the difference between playing the Eastern schools (Kentucky or
Michigan) and facing Alabama. And Illinois will be reacquainted to how it feels
to come into the Big House before 111,000 fans; it’s not the same as journeying
to Tempe and losing to Arizona State).

Michigan’s
2012 season will boil down to a five-week, four-game period (Oct. 20-Nov. 10),
opening with a home game against Michigan State, ending with Northwestern
visiting the House. In between will be the KEY matchup of the year – on October
27 going to Lincoln to play a revenged-minded Nebraska.

While
red will be the dominant color inside Memorial Stadium, and in the players’
eyes, the ‘Huskers will themselves be involved in their potentially crippling
schedule (Wisconsin, at Ohio State, at Northwestern, Michigan, at Michigan
State, Penn State).

By
the time U-M travels to Columbus on Nov. 24, its post-season fate should
already be known. Michigan’s chance on being in Indianapolis for the Dec. 1
title affair still looks bright DESPITE its non-conference outcome … because
through adversity comes victory. I’m just not sure an Indiana-Michigan title
game will excite a single soul. And that’s NOT what the Big Ten wants … and it
is (ultimately) its own fault.

P.S.
– Next year, TCU and LSU will be the teams to play in the Cowboys Classic at
JerryWorld in Texas. If you think it doesn’t sound that titillating, you’re not
alone. Except on the two campuses, the announcement was pretty much a yawner
(the news that there will be a Victoria’s Secret shop inside Cowboys Stadium
might have actually caused an earthquake in South Dallas a few days later).

Most
Texans are still adjusting to the concept that TCU has returned to big-time
football in the Big 12 (essentially the old Southwest Conference where TCU used
to live). At least Michigan and Alabama offered a unique matchup between two
storied programs with strong fan bases (both of whom showed up strong and
loud).